


There's hope in the future

by Aleeva



Category: Charité | Charité at War (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Thinking About the Future, just a little something, not historically accurate, sweet bits but no fluff, talking of the effects of war
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-26 04:56:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20924534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleeva/pseuds/Aleeva
Summary: During a bombing, Otto is thinking about his newfound family and the future he would like to have.





	There's hope in the future

**Author's Note:**

> I do NOT own anything!

Babysitting is not hard, they said. Everything comes to you naturally, they said. Even if you never had a child before you will become a wonderful parent, they said. Well, Otto wasn't sure about any of this anymore. In fact, he had no idea about what he was doing most of the time. And, of course, the situation they were in didn't make things any easier. They had to be careful or they could be found by the wrong person. Yesterday Artur was very close to finding them, poor Anni could barely breath when she saw her husband searching the abandoned dorms. So they decided that all of them - Anni, Martin, and Otto - have to be extra careful in the future. Especially, since the war was still raging on and now even the Hitlerjugend went crazy.

Karin easily wrapped anyone around her pinky finger. She was such a lovely child even with her illness. Usually, she slept well, liked to eat bread and cheese now that she had teeth to chew with. Otto liked to play with her. She was fond of her teddy bear, liked to crawl after a ball which had little stars on it - Otto drew them on. When Karin was tired or bored her uncle told her a fairy tale or made up a story with her being the main character. When he ran out of ideas and Martin was up in the attic with them, he told her stories from books he had read or made animals with his fingers in front of the lamp. Karin enjoyed watching the weird creatures running on the walls. There were times when she tried to catch them with her little hands, crawled after them next to the wall while the two grown men watched with smiles on their faces. Walking wasn't a forte of her, yet, but one time when Martin was playing with her she stood up against the wooden wall, chubby hand reaching after the black butterfly. Both of them got really excited, thought that they are going to witness her first steps but she stood in one place until her legs gave up.

Those times were Otto's favourite. It felt like having a broken, bent little family where love kept them together against all odds. It did not matter that they were a gay couple, that Martin had a prosthetic leg, that Otto deserted the army, that Karin had an illness, that Artur wanted to use his own daughter like a lab rat, or that Anni's marriage was probably over. Here, in this attic, they were everything they needed and more.

But the biggest problems were the air-raids. Karin, like everyone else, was scared of the noise the enemy planes and bombs made, the smell of burning wood, the smoke making her tear up. And let's not forget the screams of terrified people, the disgusting smell of burning human and animal flesh. These are things a child - or an adult - should never witness. Every time an attack came Otto tried to calm the little girl down with songs, it did not matter that he couldn't sing, Karin enjoyed hearing his voice. It made her feel safe.

Most of the times Martin joined them in the attic during the attacks. Being together made getting through panic and fear easier. He would sit next to Otto and hold him while the younger man cradled Karin in his arms and sang to her. If he knew the song he would join in, too. There was no difference this time, either.

After the danger was gone and the doors of every shelter were opened it did not take long for Anni to reach the attic. She always ran up to check on them, her face showing fear and then gratitude when she saw them uninjured. Otto wasn't sure if his sister believed in God but she clearly thanked him for keeping them alive.

They have to hold on, there is no other choice. The Russian aren't that far away anymore, Martin had said. He will come up with some ideas that will help to keep Karin as calm as possible, Otto thought while Anni checked if Karin was alright. He felt Martin's hand on the middle of his back. He looked at him. When their eyes met Otto felt light, a smile appearing on his face.

Suddenly, Martin looked at Anni. Otto could hear her voice but the meaning of her words escaped him. He couldn't take his eyes off of Martin who nodded and watched as Anni hurried towards the door. They need to get down to help the injured or someone will notice their absence.

"I have to go," Martin said turning to Otto.

The other just nodded.

Martin started to move, slowly but steadily getting to his feet, his prosthetic making it a difficult task. He was already standing when Otto finally had a reaction. Standing up quickly from the mattress serving as a bed he reached for Martin's arm to stop the man, he got in front of him and leaned in for a slow kiss. It wasn't long and passionate, rather quick and filled with love. Slowly they parted and looked at each other, eyes sharing so much emotion that words weren't needed. Smiling at each other Martin turned away and started walking towards the door. When he reached Karin who was trying to crawl after Anni he reached down and stroked the little girl's head. Her only response was a happy giggle and a little wave before putting three fingers into her mouth.

After being left alone with Karin and his thoughts Otto couldn't help but think about the future, the life he wants to live with his loved ones. He promised no lies, no blood, shared dinners, and happy memories. Yes, those were the things he needed and wanted, not just for himself but everyone. But first, they must wait and hope that the dark days are coming to an end. They need to hold on, need to fight against their own nation until the Führer dies. And one way or another he will.

He will and they will finally be free.

Free to live.

Free to feel.

Free to love.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading and, hopefully, I made your day a little better if you had a tough one! 
> 
> See you guys later!


End file.
